Starbucks is bringing back its red holiday cups — but there's a twist

• The 13 new designs are inspired by customers' Instagram photos of their decorated red cups from last year.

The holiday season has officially begun — at least at Starbucks.

The coffee chain debuted not one but 13 new red holiday cup designs on Wednesday. Starbucks will begin serving beverages in the new cups on Thursday morning.

To celebrate the new cups, Starbucks is offering a buy one, get one free deal on holiday drinks from 2 to 5 p.m., starting on Thursday and lasting through Monday.

Since Starbucks launched holiday cups in 1997, its red cups have become a holiday mainstay.

Last year, Starbucks faced backlash when the company debuted minimalist red cups that some complained weren't "Christmas-y" enough. After evangelist and internet personality Joshua Feuerstein posted a video on Facebook protesting the cups, the outrage — and outrage at the outrage— quickly grew, with hundreds sharing their views on social media.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz referenced the controversy at an event in New York City on Wednesday where the new cups were revealed.

"Should we just go back to last year and come out with a great red cup... and perhaps start another firestorm?" Schultz said. "We didn't think that was such a good idea."

Starbucks

So, the company turned to customers for inspiration. The 13 designs are inspired by customers' photos of their decorated red cups, posted on Instagram last year.

The red cups are Starbucks' second seasonal cups of 2016.

In the week or so leading up to the election, Starbucks debuted a green cup that featured an illustration showing the faces of more than 100 people, drawn with a single continuous line. The cup was intended to encourage unity during what Schultz called a "divisive time in our country."

Instead, many customers were critical of the cups. While some people were simply confused about the color, others accused the coffee chain of "political brainwashing."

Despite social media blowback, Starbucks has long maintained that its cups are an apolitical holiday tradition.

But Schultz has long been an outspoken figure when it comes to politics. In September he endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton for president.

On Wednesday morning, Schultz sent a solemn note to his company's more than 120,000 US employees saying he was "stunned" by Donald Trump's election and encouraging the chain's workers to move "onward together."